After six conferences in the PBA, the Meralco Bolts have broken through to the league’s semifinals.

On Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum, the Meralco Bolts beat down a Powerade squad playing its second game in as many nights, 94-84, to march to the next round of the Governors’ Cup.

Import Mario West played another steady game, finishing with 26 points, eight rebounds and four steals, while also working double time defending Gary David.

The rest of the Meralco Bolts did their share in outsprinting and outgunning the entire Tigers crew, which has overachieved this season.

“I told my players before the start of the game that we Filipinos are not equipped to play back-to-back games, so I mentioned to them that our advantage is our running legs,” said Meralco Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio, whose team had more fastbreak points, 20-6, and turnover points, 22-11, than the Tigers.

Meralco’s victory completed the semifinals cast for the season-ending conference, joining Rain or Shine, B-MEG, Talk ‘N Text, Petron and Ginebra in the next round.

Gregorio put the Meralco Bolts franchise’s feat in perspective.

“The hardest is always the breakthrough,” said Gregorio. “We nearly made it to the semis last conference, but we made sure our second one won’t slip away. We made it to the playoffs in two of the three conferences this season. But tonight’s game is about effort.”

The Meralco Bolts were helped by the fact that six teams made the semifinals this conference, as opposed to four teams in the first two tournaments of the season.

David, who was nursing an ankle injury, finished the game with 22 points, but was held to only five in the second half by the tight defense of West.

As a team, Meralco Bolts also did well in shackling Powerade, particularly in the third period when the Bolts held the Tigers to a lone field goal in a four-minute stretch.

That triggered the Bolts’ 19-6 run as they posted a 67-54 lead, 3:32 left in the third.

Sol Mercado erupted for 15 points in the fourth period to lead Meralco Bolts to a 91-78 victory over Powerade in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Scoreless in the first three quarters, Mercado led the Bolts’ decisive rally to pull away from a tight game and notch their first back-to-back wins in the tournament.

“I just told him just to be patient. True enough, Powerade’s defense loosened up in the fourth quarter,” said Meralco Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio of his prized guard.

“It was a great win for us. With other teams falling down, we are encouraged that our destiny lies in our hands. We need a victory over Barako Bull on Sunday to have a clear passage and finally nail one of the six slots,” added Gregorio.

Mario West had another solid performance for the Bolts with 29 points and nine rebounds and was responsible for limiting Gary David, the PBA’s leading local scorer, to 20 points.

“Our import takes pride on defending,” said Gregorio. “I told him for the game, he’ll be guarding the best scoring local player in the league. But Gary David is not Tyreke [Evans], nor Dwayne Wade nor Lebron James. These are the players (West) used to guard in the NBA.”

David got his shooting rhythm in the third quarter, when he exploded for 11 points to put the Tigers within striking distance, trailing by only two points, 68-66, going into the fourth period.

But it was Mercado who stole the show in the final period, leading 16-3 exchange to build an 84-69 advantage for the Meralco Bolts with 4:22 remaining.

Powerade failed to respond, absorbing its second straight defeat that dropped its win-loss record to 4-4. The loss also ruined the return of Nic Belasco to the PBA.

The 38-year old Belasco had 4 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes for the Tigers. Omar Sneed led Powerade with 23 points and 17 rebounds.

Gary David matched the longest streak of games with at least 20 points to help Powerade Tigers defeat the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who were the only unbeaten team in the Governors’ Cup.

On Friday, Gary David reaffirmed his role as the Tigers’ go-to-guy, finishing with 30 points and powering his team to a 104-98 triumph at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

With a personal record at stake and his team hoping to extend their winning streak, Gary David presided on offense during the most crucial stretch of the match.

He had 11 fourth-quarter points, including the record-tying baskets at the 9:06 mark coming off two free throws to match Danny Seigle’s string of 19 straight games with at least 20 points.

But the most telling blows from Gary David came in the final two minutes of the game. He had six straight points, including a tough jumper with 1:55 to go that put Powerade on top, 98-92.

The Tigers got crucial baskets as well from Lordy Tugade and import Omar Sneed in their last two offensive thrusts. Tugade had a tip-in off Sneed’s missed three-pointer, which put the Tigers ahead by six, 102-96.

After Jamelle Cornley made a nifty spin move that shoved the Elasto Painters to within four, Sneed pierced Rain or Shine’s defense and scored on a drive to put the final nail on the coffin for their rivals, who lost for the first time in five matches.

Sneed, a former MVP in the Israeli league, had 24 points and 20 rebounds. Powerade has not lost in three games since he took the spot of NBA veteran Rashad McCants.

Overall, the Tigers their win-loss record improved to 3-2, putting them in solid position for a playoff berth.

“What’s important is that the people we expected to deliver has delivered for us,” said Powerade coach Bo Perasol. “Gary, Omar and the rest, contributed for us.”

“But there’s no greater motivation for a team than to win over an unbeaten squad. That’s satisfying for us.”

During crunch time, Perasol admitted he had seconds thoughts about getting the ball to David.

“I was thinking of getting the ball to Omar at the post, but better judgment told me I should go to Gary and he proved me right,” said Perasol.

B-MEG Llamados and Alaska eye second straight wins in the conference when they go against separate foes in the PBA Governors’ Cup Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The B-Meg Llamados square off with Barako Bull in the main game at 7:30 p.m. right after the Aces battle winless Powerade at 5:15 p.m.

The Commissioner’s Cup champion B-Meg Llamados nailed their first win against Barangay Ginebra, 96-88, to bounce back from a defeat at the hands of league-leader Rain or Shine.

B-MEG Llamados coach Tim Cone said they expect the Energy, also carrying a 1-1 slate, to come back strong.

“Barako Bull is an experienced team, with good talent and is well-coached. When they put it together, they are an extremely tough team to beat,” said Cone.

The Energy were trounced by the Aces in their previous game, 104-84, where import Jamine Peterson was held down to just 19 points after debuting with 33 points and 22 rebounds in their 106-101 win against the Tigers.

Cone hopes that import Marqus Blakely could control Peterson while the locals, led by James Yap and Peter June Simon, lend support for their import on offense.

In the opener, Alaska interim coach Luigi Triilo seeks his second victory against the Tigers, who have yet to win in two starts.

The Aces notched a 20-point win against Barako Bull while Powerade lost to the same team by five.

“It’s nice to get the monkey off the back,” Trillo admitted. “The first win is usually the hardest.”

“We have a lot of respect for Powerade. Coach Bo (Perasol) maximizes what he has. (Gary) David plays like an import,” he added.

Perasol, meanwhile, said they need to regain their focus to get back in the tournament.

“The last thing in our minds now is to make excuses. We have to dig deep within ourselves to find a way to win,” said Perasol.

Barako Bull leaned on a hot start by import Jamine Peterson before repulsing a late run spearheaded by Powerade’s Rashad McCants to fashion out a 106-101 victory over the Tigers in PBA Governors’ Cup action Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Peterson, who goes by the nickname ‘Greedy’, posted monster numbers of 33 points and 22 rebounds, but shot just 12-of-30 from the field. He looked visibly tired in the second half, where he scored just six points.

But the former Providence College standout got plenty of help from his teammates, as six locals scored at least seven points for the Energy. Danny Seigle continued his consistent run from the last conference, scoring 14 points, while Sunday Salvacion hit several key shots off the bench to tally 11.

McCants had an uneven game, and his fifth foul with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter allowed Barako Bull to go on a 11-4 run to take a 94-84 lead.

The former Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick led Powerade’s late charge, scoring two three-pointers in a 10-4 run that cut the lead to just four points with two minutes to go. But the Tigers could not come any closer, as Seigle, Ronald Tubid, and Peterson had timely hits to preserve Barako Bull’s lead.

Despite the win, Barako Bull Energy coach said he wanted more consistency out of his team. “We have to be always hot, and minimize the coldness,” he said.

Gary David led the Tigers in scoring with 25 points, while Rabeh Al-Hussaini rebounded from a miserable Powerade debut with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Rain or Shine guns for the early lead as it takes on Commissioner’s Cup champion B-MEG in the main game of the PBA Governors’ Cup Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, coming off a 107-100 demolition of Alaska last Sunday, shoot for a 2-0 start with a win in their 7:30 p.m. encounter against the Llamados.

Barako Bull battles Powerade at 5:15 p.m. in the opener.

“I know B-MEG is short on preparation so this would be the best time to play them,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

“There is no guarantee, of course. B-MEG is still formidable even with the lack of preparation but I would rather play them early than later. It’s very important to win early in a short conference like this,” he added.

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters drew a solid game from import Jamelle Cornley, who had 27 points and 11 rebounds in his debut against the Aces.

They will be facing a B-MEG quintet that had little time to prepare for the season-ending conference after winning the title of the previous tournament against Talk ‘N Text in seven games.

The Llamados will be led by Marqus Blakely, a former Vermont player who had a solid NBA D-League campaign with the Iowa Energy last season where he averaged 15.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

In the opener, the Tigers hope to bounce back from a 97-83 loss to Petron Blaze as they face debuting Barako Bull.

“It is important to understand that we need to battle each game,” said Powerade mentor Bo Perasol.

“One game will have a significant effect on how we will finish this season. That fact should give us a do-or-die attitude all the time,” he added.

Rashad McCants and Gary David combined for 53 points in their first game but the others failed to deliver for the Tigers.

Barako Bull will be parading Jamine Peterson, a one-time standout from Providence.

“JP Peterson is blending well with the locals plus the veterans are in shape,” said Energy coach Junel Baculi whose team was unbeaten in three pre-tournament games.

Petron Blaze Boosters open campaign with a win against Powerade Tigers to open their title defense.

Eddie Basden showed he’s more than just a defensive player as he came through with crucial baskets in the fourth quarter to lift Petron Blaze to a 97-83 win over a stubborn Powerade Tigers five in the PBA Governors’ Cup Sunday night at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

The former Chicago Bulls guard had nine in the Boosters’ final 17 points to thwart a last-ditch stand by the Tigers.

Basden finished with a game-high 28 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field and added 10 rebounds in a solid debut for the defending champions.

Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos chipped on 17 and 16 point respective for Petron, which played minus new recruit Marcio Lassiter, who sat out because of a fractured hand.

“Kararating lang niya last Tuesday. Matalinong import. I think we can still improve kasi five days pa lang kami nag-practice with him,” said Boosters coach Ato Agustin of Basden.

“It’s a good sign for us. We played good defense against Powerade.”

In a battle of two teams that swapped key players during the break, Petron relied on Basden’s solid all-around game while Powerade Tigers had only Rashad McCants and Gary David working for them.

The Tigers lost Rabeh Al-Hussaini, a player they got from the Lassiter deal, early in the game after incurring a flagrant foul penalty two on Dorian Pena.

Petron took a 57-36 halftime lead before the Powerade Tigers, behind David and McCants, unloaded a 20-2 bomb to get back in the game with 4:56 left in the third.

The Boosters managed to keep a 70-63 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Powerade Tigers kept on coming back, with McCants’ basket the Tigers closer, 80-72.

But Basden sparked a 17-10 windup by Petron to start its title-retention bid on a high note.

McCants, a former North Carolina star, had 27 points to lead Powerade Tigers while David finished with 26, extending his streak of scoring at least 20 points to 15 games.